Nonlinguistic Representation

Technology 1: Vodcast (Viddler.com)

• Rationale
  • Being able to create an educational environment that offers various forms of instructional strategies is very important in promoting student retention of information. Students who have been presented information though a combination of linguistic and nonlinguistic strategies have seen an increased easy in the recall of information.
  • One way to reach this combination in the classroom is to incorporate audio and visual stimulants into the educational process. Viddler is an outstanding resource for teachers to use because they are able to show, create and upload, and comment on uploaded videos. Viddler is unique because it also allows you to network with others who enjoy similar issues as you are capable of creating private groups around videos.
  • Viddler fits the "nonlinguistic representation" strategy by providing students with real-life examples of issues being discussed in the classroom in video format. Students are also able to interact within this site as they comment and discuss with each other the content being provided in the video. This site may also meet the kinesthetic aspect of this strategy as students are also able to create and upload their own creations and share it with others in order to further learning..

• Resources needed by school/Estimated Cost
  • Viddler is a free web application, which can be found at www.viddler.com

• Rationale
  • WebQuest.org is a site that provides users with hundreds of WebQuests organized by subject area and grade level. These WebQuests are created and uploaded by users and exemplify effective WebQuest's for the classroom.
  • Creating and/or using a WebQuest in order to deliver instruction is an outstanding way to provide nonlinguistic instruction. WebQuest's can be powerful tools in providing an authentic learning environment. WebQuest's best meet nonlinguisitic instruction when they provide open-ended opportunities for students to critically think and problem solve about real-world situations.

• Resources needed by school/Estimated Cost
  • WebQuest.org is a free site whose users openly share their WebQuest creations.

• Rationale
  • Google Earth is definitely an example of how any content area can incorporate nonlinguistic representations into a curriculum. Google Earth (2010) allows students to interact with "satellite images, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in space to canyons of the ocean." This gives students the ability to truly experience history, cultures, and environments because they can actually visit locations without ever physically going traveling to them in order to learn about them. Google Earth is filled with multimedia (layers) ready for student exploration, for example current/past photos, YouTube clips, and 3D Structures.
  • Google Earth is an outstanding way to help content come alive for students through visualization.

• Resources needed by school/Estimated Cost
  • Google Earth is for the individual user is available via a free download. Google Earth Pro is a $400 download mainly used for business purposes.

• Differentiated Instruction:

  • Because every classroom is made up of a diverse group of learners differentiating instruction is a daily challenge in order to meet the needs of all learners. Technology today is a great way to meet the needs of many different learners in one learning session.
  • WebQuests are a fantastic example of this because they allow for the use a scaffolding by providing students with background information where strong guidance can be given by the teacher. During this time students are given readings to begin the learning process. Students may then be given an open-ended question requiring research in order to solve a problem with other team members. For example, students may participate in a mock trial, write a political figure a letter, or create revisions to a current government document.

• Google Earth. (2010). Google Earth. Retrieved on April 19, 2010 from http://earth.google.com/
• NETC. (2005). Focus on effectiveness: integrating technologies into researched-based strategies. Retrieved on April 14, 2010 from http://www.netc.org/focus/.